1. Field of the Invention
Example embodiments of the present invention relate generally to a semiconductor device and method thereof, and more particularly to an output circuit and method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional semiconductor memory device may output stored data from and/or store new data into a memory cell array. Conventional semiconductor memory devices may have different operation modes for performing reset functions, including a hard reset and a soft reset mode. In the hard reset mode, the semiconductor memory device may be turned off completely and then turned on again. In the soft reset mode, a number of internal circuits may be turned off temporarily without a complete shutdown of the semiconductor memory device. During a soft reset, a portion of the internal circuits of the semiconductor memory device may continue to operate.
If the semiconductor memory device performs a read operation concurrently with a soft reset, an output circuit of the semiconductor memory device may retain data (e.g., data to be reset by the soft reset) after the soft reset. If the semiconductor memory device attempts to perform a write operation under an abnormal condition (e.g., during a soft reset), differences may occur between externally provided data for the write operation and the data obtained via a read operation.